What is ''film noir''??

Question

I'm trying to find out as much as I can about this genre, any help at any level is greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

"Film noir" is a French term meaning "black cinema." It refers to the black-and-white detective movies from the 1930s, '40s and '50s. "Casablanca," "The Maltese Falcon" and "The Big Sleep" are classic examples of film noir.

More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir

Answer 2

Film noir translates, from the French, as "dark film" which refers to both the subject matter of the American film genre as well as its liberal use of light and shadows (one of the characteristics of the genre). Most film historians will tell you that film noir is a post-world war II phenomenon, and say it reflects the moral ambiguity of the "cold war era." Film noir seldom ends happily, and often deals with basically decent people who get drawn deeper and deeper into illegal situations. I'm in a hurry at the moment,  so if you are really interested in the genre, go through the film section of your public library which is sure to have at least a few books on film noir.